


Five Firsts and Ten Seconds

by tinyfierceandsassy



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-02-08 23:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1960665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyfierceandsassy/pseuds/tinyfierceandsassy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five Dandy firsts and one not-first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Loathe at First Sight

Mindy pulled out her notebook, writing the date in the top right corner. _Second week of residency!_ She squealed inwardly, glancing around the small conference room. _These are my peers. The doctors I'll be working with for the next six years. Maybe that girl over there will be my best friend. Maybe he's my enemy. Maybe I'll fall in love with –_

"Ahem."

Mindy's inner monologue stopped abruptly as someone next to her cleared their throat again. Mindy glanced up. "Uh, sorry, do you need a lozenge? I have these great new green tea kind, they say they heal you from the inside – "

"That's my seat." The speaker narrows his eyes at Mindy, gesturing to where she's sitting. Mindy chuckles.

"Excuse me?"

The man nods his head at her. "Where you're sitting. That's my seat."

Mindy frowned. "I'm sorry, are we in the fourth grade?" She looks around at the other residents, who have taken a sudden interest in their notebooks.

"No, but you are in my seat." The guy smirks now, folding his arms and signaling that he's ready to fight this one out. "It's the second week of residency. You can't just go sitting somewhere new during the meetings. Everyone knows you pick your seat the first week."

"Actually, I don't know that I know that," Mindy replies, sitting up straighter. "Anyway, it's just a chair. No need to blow up about it, Christian Bale."

"Christian who?" The man shakes his head. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. Point is, I sat in that seat all last week, so I feel like I staked my claim."

Mindy scoffed. "Well, sorry to tell ya buddy, but ya snooze, ya lose." She ticked her head towards the back of the table. "There are a couple chairs back there. I'm sure you'll survive."

The seat-debater looks like he's about to respond with a comeback when the lead doctor enters the room. "Alright, everyone, let's begin. I've got a patient with a broken femur and she's a chatty one. Can't leave my nurse with her for too long or I won't have anyone left to take blood samples." The residents chuckled good-naturedly.

The doctor glances down at his clipboard. "Today's assignments – Daniel Castellano? You're shadowing Dr. Bellson." He looks up in Mindy's direction, clearly surprised before he searches the room and settles his sights in the back. "Ah, Mr. Castellano, there you are. I see we have a change of seating today."

"Just switching it up, keeping you on your toes," Danny joked back, causing the others to laugh along. He smirked, shooting Mindy a look.

And that was the first time she knew she loathed Danny Castellano.


	2. Now I'm A Believer

Someone knocked on her door, causing Mindy to look up from her desk.

"Don't come in unless you have a dozen jelly donuts for my table!" She called, quickly stuffing an empty, crème-riddled box further into her trash. Danny opened the door, glancing at her hurried movement.

"Is that Dunkin Donuts box?"

Mindy didn't blink. "Yeah, so?"

Danny gestured back to the door. "Didn't you just say not to enter unless I had donuts?"

Mindy paused, glancing down at the evidence. "That box is from last week. I just finished off the last one."

Danny frowned, thinking. "But I could've sworn I saw you bring in a box yester-"

"What is it, Danny?" Mindy cut him off, gesturing to the pile of papers on her desk. "I'm very busy. They moved America's Next Top Model to the same time as American Idol, which was already on at the same time as The Bachelorette, and my Tivo can only record two shows at once. I'm making a pro-con list here. This is an important decision."

"Well, your little list may have to wait. We've got a late night ahead of us."

"What? Why?"

Danny sighed. "Seems like the computer software's glitched and all of our appointments' records for the week are mixed up. We need to sort them out."

"Ugh," Mindy groaned, leaning back in her chair. "Didn't we just upgrade the system?"

"See, this is why we should just stick to paper. You don't have to deal with updates and upgrades and windows and houses and whatnot, you just pull out the file and it's all right there in one place."

"Okay, calm down grandpa. Computers are the future and we all know it. We'll just fix it tonight and make sure to back everything up so this doesn't happen again."

"Sounds good. Unfortunately, it's just gonna be you and me. Jeremy's got a planned C-section."

"Fine, fine, whatever," Mindy acknowledged, beginning to shoo him away from her desk. "Now leave me alone. I need to see if I can get one of my friends to break into my apartment and set up my Tivo to record The Bachelorette."

Danny rolled his eyes, bowing out as Mindy prayed to the TV gods that Gwen would pick up.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

"God, this is taking forever!" Mindy cried, throwing down a file. "Why do we have so many patients this week? Was there are Dr. Oz special on gynecology or something?"

"I don't know any Dr. Oz's," Danny pondered, flipping idly through a file. "Is he new to the area?"

Mindy groaned. "Forget it. I can't do this anymore, I need food."

"You just had an entire bag of Twizzlers an hour ago!"

"Yeah, Danny, and they're gone now!" Mindy huffed, pulling out her phone. "I'm ordering Chinese from the place down the block. You want anything?"

Danny sighed and sat up. "Yeah, sure I guess. What do they have?"

Mindy glared, the phone already ringing in her ear. "Normal Chinese stuff! Chicken and broccoli, General Tso's! Ringing any bells?"

Danny shook his head. "I don't eat Chinese often – too much MSG. I'll just head down there myself and look at the menu."

Mindy ended the phone call, jabbing the button aggressively. "Fine, I'll just go down with you. With your luck, you'd end up asking for a slice."

"I would never expect them to sell pizza!" Danny retorted, picking up his jacket. Mindy rolled her eyes and headed out the door, Danny rushing to catch up to her.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

"Mmmm. Now this is some good fried rice," Mindy hummed appreciatively, shoving another spoonful in her mouth. Danny swallowed and nodded.

"Yeah, I will agree that food makes this endeavor a little less annoying."

Mindy sighed, sitting up and scooting some of the files to the edge of the table so she could put her almost-empty box down. "We should get back to work."

Danny wiped his mouth with a napkin, shuffling around some files as well. "Yeah, we should. At least we don't have too much left."

They sat in silence, each sorting through the pieces of paper and listening to the overhead music. Then Mindy began to hum. Before long, Danny could hear her singing under her breath. "And then I saw her face, now I'm a believer".

He chimed in as well, quietly, still focusing on his paperwork. "Not a trace, of doubt in my mind."

Mindy glanced up, smiling. "I'm in love – "

"Oooo," Danny responded.

"I'm a believer, I couldn't leave her if I tried!" They ended together, both chuckling.

Mindy smiled. "Danny! You know this song? I can't believe it!"

"Yeah, of course," Danny replied, shrugging. "The Monkees were great."

Mindy frowned. "Um, what? This song was on the Shrek soundtrack!"

Danny scoffed. "Yeah, as a ripoff of the original!"

Mindy shrugged. "You know what, I don't even care that you just insulted one of my favorite childhood movies. We just found a song we both like. And I held back from making a comment about how out of tune you were. I think that's progress," she beamed, returning to her pile.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Danny agreed, smirking as he sorted through the mess on the table. He looked up. "Wait, childhood movie? Didn't that come out fifteen years ago? I remember taking Christina to see it."

"Not all of us are as ancient as you," Mindy replied defensively. "Now focus on your file and stop ruining the moment." Danny smirked, satisfied.

An hour later, they were finally finished. Mindy stood by the door while Danny locked u and sighed with relief.

"Oh, I can still catch the end of American Idol!" She cheered, checking her phone and alerting all her friends.

"Yep. We should be set for the next week. And don't worry, I'll call the software company tomorrow to see what the deal is."

"Sounds good." Mindy paused at the elevator, pressing the button. She looked thoughtful. "You know, Danny, we totally just hung out."

Danny looked doubtful. "What? That wasn't hanging out. That was work. We were working overtime."

Mindy shook her head. "Oh, no. There was food and singing and even small talk. That constitutes hanging out."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Fine, if you need to put a label on it, we hung out. While working. Not much of an accomplishment if you ask me."

"Well, I'm not," Mindy countered, smiling as they boarded the elevator. They remained silent the rest of the way down, Mindy updating all of her social media as to her newly-free status, Danny watching the floors tick by. Finally they reached the bottom, Danny holding the door for Mindy to walk out.

Mindy paused outside the entrance. "I'm this way," she gestured to the right.

"Yeah, I'm the opposite," Danny ticked his head behind him.

Mindy shrugged. "You know, it wasn't completely horrible spending extra time with you."

"No, it wasn't," Danny nodded, agreeing.

They stood there awkwardly for a second before Danny couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, that's enough friendly talk to last us a couple weeks. See you tomorrow?"

"Yep! Bye, Danny," Mindy gave a little wave before turning over her shoulder and heading towards home. Danny followed suit, looking both ways before he crossed the street and into the night.


	3. Touchin' on my Tinsel

“I hope you’ve got your running shoes on, my friend, because we’re about to shop ‘til we drop!” Mindy announced, opening the door to Danny’s office gleefully. 

 

“I think I’m good,” Danny replied, not even pausing to look up from the email he was writing. Mindy pouted. 

 

“Danny, we have to get decorations for the office non-denominational winter holiday party.” 

 

Danny sighed, hitting send before turning towards the flamboyantly dressed doctor. “Why do I have to be the one who buys the stuff? Besides, it’s a Christmas party. Stop giving it that lousy ‘non-denominational’ title.”

 

Mindy rolled her eyes. “Tamra yelled at me for being culturally insensitive, and she scares me. So I’ll just call it Christmas around you.” She shifted her bag. “Now, come on. Last time you just gave me money to buy decorations, then got mad when I gave you back the receipts.”

 

“Because they were covered in lip gloss and dried up Skittles!” Danny cried.

 

“I can’t be held responsible for any damage done by my purse,” Mindy reasoned. “I like to keep some Skittles loose in case of a city-wide famine.”

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Danny replied, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair and shaking his head. He nodded towards the door. “Alright, let’s get this over with, Skittle Queen.” Mindy led the way out of the practice, bouncing excitedly.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“So I was thinking we could get pink tinsel this time, because it’ll really bring out my new MAC eyeshadow,” Mindy babbled on as she and Danny waited for the signal to cross the street. 

 

“What? No?” Danny denied. “The holidays are for red and green. Always been that way, always will.”

 

“Okay, I resent that. Not all of us grew up with a red-clad Saint Nicholas to write to.”

 

“You told me you were Santa in your elementary school play!”

 

Mindy waved him off. “Minor details. Point is, we’re going with the blue. I’m in charge of decorations, and food, and music,” Mindy frowned. “Wait. Why am I doing everything? You’re not weaseling your way out of this –“

 

“Light changed,” Danny cut her off, motioning that it was time for them to cross. Mindy was admiring the Christmas Swarovski display when she felt something on her back and jumped. 

 

“What are you doing?” She glared accusingly at Danny’s outstretched hand, which had been on her back moments before, guiding her along the crosswalk. 

 

“What?” Danny looked confused.

 

“Why was your hand on my back, you weirdo?” Mindy fitted him with an inquisitive look.

 

“What, that? I dunno, it’s just something I’ve always done. It’s polite. Don’t ask me. Jeez, what’s with the interrogation?”

 

Mindy narrowed her eyes. “I only asked one question, Danny, relax.” She sighed. “Whatever. I guess that was kind of sweet. Very Dermot Mulroney of you,” she ended, smiling, turning back around to continue on their venture. 

 

“Who?”

 

Mindy grinned. “Oh, good! Another movie to add to our ever-growing list to watch.” 

 

Danny groaned. “No, please no. All I want after a long delivery is to relax and watch the game. I’ve missed the last two because you’ve dominated the television with your chick flicks!”

 

“Oh, come on, they replay the important parts right after.”

 

“Which I would get to see, if your damn rom coms weren’t three hours long.”

 

Mindy gasped. “You can’t just stop in the middle of a love story, Danny! You miss everything important!”

 

Danny rolled his eyes. “Tell that to my fantasy team.”

 

“Fine.” Mindy huffed. “How about this – for every two rom coms we watch, I’ll let you have the lounge to watch your stupid baseball games.”

 

Danny scoffed. “Every two?! No deal, that’s complete crap.”

 

Mindy whined. “Danny, come on!” He didn’t budge. “Okay, okay. Every other, then. But you pay for snacks that night.” 

 

“Deal.” Danny smirked, sticking out his hand for Mindy to shake. She complied, rolling her eyes before turning into a store on her right. 

 

An hour later, Danny was loaded down with bags while Mindy led the way back to the practice. Somehow, despite his load, he still managed to guide Mindy across the road. And this time, she didn’t jump. 

 

“Alright, just dump them on the chair,” Mindy directed, hanging up her coat in her wardrobe when they finally made it to the practice. 

 

“Aye, aye, sir,” Danny replied sarcastically. Mindy shot him a look, Danny laughing quietly at his own joke. He laid the bags down on her chair, stretching his shoulder. “Jeez, Min, what the hell did we get? Bars of gold?”

 

Mindy’s eyes lit up. “No, but we could! Danny, those would look great by the punch bowl. Didn’t three guys bring Jesus bars of gold?”

 

Danny pinched his eyes. “Yep. Totally.”

 

Mindy beamed. “Okay, I’ll find some tomorrow!” She began typing furiously on her phone. Danny started to correct her, but stopped, knowing it was useless. 

 

He glanced around the room before checking his watch. “Alright, well, if you don’t need me to be your lackey for anything else tonight, I’m gonna head out.” He hitched a thumb over his shoulder. 

 

Mindy stopped texting and rounded the desk. She touched Danny’s shoulder. “Thanks for all your help. I really mean it,” she insisted, squeezing a little. 

 

Danny half-smiled, shrugging. “Eh, it could’ve been worse.”

 

“Oh yeah. I went easy on you bub,” Mindy agreed. She laughed as Danny’s eyes went wide with fear. He glanced around the empty office before turning back to Mindy. 

 

“Wha-“ All of a sudden, she was hugging him, wrapping her arms around his back and squeezing. He patted her awkwardly, not knowing what to do with himself.

 

Mindy stepped back and glared. “Danny Castellano. I know you did not just _pat_ me like Tyra does to the girls who get eliminated on America's Next Top Model.”

 

Danny scratched his head and looked sheepish. “I just, I didn’t know we were the hugging type of friends.”

 

Mindy looked at him skeptically. “’The hugging type of friends’? Oh god, Danny. You need to get out more.” She shook her head. “Yes, we’re the ‘hugging type of friends’. Let’s try this again.”

 

“We really don’t have to do th-“ Mindy’s arms were back around him before he could protest. He sighed, giving in and squeezing her just the tiniest bit. Mindy released him and smiled, satisfied. 

 

“Better, but not up to my standards just yet. We’ll work on it,” she grinned happily. 

 

Danny rolled his eyes. “Alright. If I have your permission, I would like to leave now,” he said pointedly. 

 

Mindy waved, heading back towards her phone. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Yeah, tomorrow,” Danny agreed, waving as he exited the office. He brushed the wrinkles out of his shirt as waited for the elevator, smiling as he noted the hint of perfume still lingering on his collar.


	4. With A Little Help From My Friend

Danny struggled with his tie, wrenching it from side to side in a futile attempt to breathe. _Stupid dinner functions_ , he thought grumpily as he stepped back to get a better look in the mirror. He brushed a bit of dust off his shoe, sighing as he patted his pockets to check that he had his wallet and keys.

 _Check_ , he noted, then grabbed his phone off the counter before carefully laying on the couch.

 _You almost ready for the dinner?_ He texted Mindy. He laid his phone on his chest, drumming his fingers alongside it while he waited for the buzzing respond. He only got through the first few measures of Born to Run before it was vibrating.

_Just applying some primer and I'll be done soon. Why? Didn't you get there like, an hour early to catch up with Drs. Ancient and Ancienter? ;)_

Deciding not to question what "primer" was, Danny rolled his eyes, clumsily thumbing a response. _Ancienter isn't a word. And no, I saw them at breakfast last week. I just don't feel like going alone._

_Awww, are you scared? The big-time American Gynecological Association board too intimidating for The Daniel Castellano?_

_Don't make me laugh. I'm just sick of small talk. I had to entertain Mrs. Carter yesterday while Tamra sang her blood-drawing song. By the way, remind me to talk to her about that tomorrow._

Danny tossed his phone on the table, eyeing the biscotti on his counter. Just one wouldn't ruin his dinner…

The phone buzzed right as he lifted the cover off the plate.

 _Yeah, we need to get her to record a jingle for the practice!_ Danny shook his head, leaving that battle for another time. He read on: _And if you want, you can come meet me at my place and we'll go together, you big baby. But if you come, you can't make a single remark about how long it's taking me to get ready._

Danny thought it over for a second before responding.

_I'm on my way._

* * *

"My bra strap isn't showing, right? I was gonna go strapless, but I broke one of the hooks trying to see if I could do it one-handed," Mindy paused in the hallway, turning around for Danny to check.

"We really need to have a discussion about boundaries," Danny noted before giving her the once over. "You're fine."

"Good. And you're welcome for that excuse to look at my ass," Mindy smirked as Danny scoffed. "We don't need boundaries," Mindy explained as they neared the door to the function room. "We're friends. The way you get to be _better_ friends is by pushing past those boundaries."

Danny froze, unable to respond. Mindy chuckled and patted his cheek. "Breathe, Danny. You know I didn't mean it that way."

Danny shrugged it off. "Yeah, no, I know. I was just spacing out," he explained, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Whatever. I won't try to understand the mind of Danny Castellano." Mindy flipped her hair in front of her shoulders and smacked her lips together. "Alright. Here's the game plan: we schmooze for an hour, nibble for another, then grab any leftovers we can and make up a reason to leave. Sound good?"

Danny nodded. "Yep. Let's get this over with."

Mindy straightened up and plastered on a smile before pushing open the door.

Danny was just about to bite into a piece of cake when someone bumped into him and forced him to stab himself in the lip.

"Ow! Jeez, wouldya look where you're going?" Danny hissed, grabbing a napkin from the table and dabbing at his lip. "Am I bleeding?"

Mindy waved him off. "Oh calm down, you big baby. You're fine." She glanced around the room. "Okay, it looks like the crowd is thinning out. We need to make our move soon before we get stuck talking to Dr. Ray again. I can only hear about his son's award-winning essay for so long, Danny," she grabbed his arm, pain in her eyes.

"Alright, alright, relax. We'll go." Danny shrugged her off, eyeing the room. "So. What do we do?"

"Make an excuse. You go first, then me. We don't want the practice looking antisocial."

"Okay, got it."

"Oh, and grab some mints to shove in your pocket before we leave! And some cookies in a napkin!"

Danny rolled his eyes but obliged, watching as Mindy waved to one of the other doctors across the room. She turned around to give Danny a knowing look and made little shooing motions with her hands.

Danny scratched his head and ambled over to a group of people chatting about Gardasil. He listened to the conversation for a minute before awkwardly clearing his throat. "Well, I better go. Good to see you guys." He nodded, crossing the room in stride until a voice called out: "Dr. Castellano, are you leaving already?"

Danny froze and spun around to address the small crowd. "Uh, yeah. I…I gotta go wash my hair. Takes forever to dry," he finished, closing his eyes at his own idiocy. The room remained silent while Mindy walked over to him, shaking her head.

"And I have to make sure Danny takes his post-lobotomy medication," she joked, beaming as the room laughed along with her. "But really, I have a patient at 8 tomorrow morning. The things we do for those rascals," she added, scrunching up her face in faux-annoyance. She waved to the crowd. "Have a good night, everyone!" Danny found himself being shoved out the door, Mindy pushing him along quickly.

"'I have to wash my hair?'" She mimicked, rolling her eyes as they trudged down the steps and onto the sidewalk. "Those nuns really did a number on your ability to lie."

"No kidding. You didn't see their rulers," Danny agreed, eyes wide with fear.

"Not gonna ask. Let's just get home," Mindy sighed. "I'm exhausted. Did you know that Elizabeth Tanner's husband snores loud enough that you can hear it in the basement? Because I do. I even know how long each one lasts. 5.5 seconds. Isn't that so interesting, Danny?" She looked crazed.

"Woah there. I get it. A little too much mingling for your taste," he noted, smoothing his hands down her arms. "But we made it through, and now we'll get a mention in their journal submission."

"Ugh, I know," Mindy whined, "but is it too much to ask for a little glamour? The finger sandwiches were made out of _white_ bread, for God's sake."

"Hey, don't put that on Him," Danny warned, frowning. "But for once, I agree. This night was dry."

"Well at least you were there," Mindy smiled. "Everything's better with your best friend."

Danny's cheek hitched up in a half-grin as he turned to Mindy. "Uh, yeah, definitely."

Mindy glanced over at him and nudged his arm. "You big dork, smiling just because I called you my best friend."

Danny shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant. "Eh. I mean, I know you have a tier, but it still feels nice to be on top."

"Don't pretend like you're not ecstatic inside," Mindy smirked. Danny laughed and shook his head, but Mindy knew she was right.

They walked in silence for a few more feet before Danny registered her looking at him. He turned towards her and found her waiting expectantly. "What?"

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" She asked.

"Uh…do you wanna grab some lunch tomorrow?"

"Yes, but not that stupid Chinese place we went last time, it sucked." She shook her head. "Wait, no, that's not what I meant!" She glared at Danny.

He raised his shoulders defensively. "What? Clue me in, cuz I'm lost."

Mindy stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Danny, I just said you were my best friend! Now is when you say that I'm yours!"

Danny walked back the few steps to face his colleague. "Since when do I _have_ to say that? That's not how friendship works."

Mindy's mouth opened in shock. "But, you, I –"

Danny chuckled and continued along the sidewalk. Mindy stood there gaping for a few seconds before catching up, pouting and trying to work up a good argument.

"Hey Min?" Danny interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah?" She replied, dazed.

"You're my best friend too." Danny paused in front of a building, smirking.

Mindy punched him in the arm.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Danny cried, rubbing where she just hit.

"You jerk! You let me think that we had a best friendship inequality!"

Danny laughed. "For a few seconds! Was it really that agonizing?"

Mindy frowned. "Yes." Danny gave her a disbelieving look. "Fine, no. I forgive you."

Danny started to object, but thought better of it. He smiled, stuffing his hands in his pockets, Mindy weaving her arm around his elbow.

"Good. It's settled then. We're best friends." She smiled. "You know what this means, right?"

"No more hitting?"

"No, you deserve every smack you get!" Mindy retorted, demonstrating just for effect. "What it means it that we have to have best friend dates at least once a month."

"'A best friend date'? What the hell is that?" Danny asked, his face contorted in confusion.

"Basically, we just have to hang out and catch up on each other's lives," Mindy explained. "It can be done through Skype or in person, but it _must_ include food."

Danny nodded. "You'll have to explain Skype to me, but I can do food."

"Good." Mindy smiled. "It's a done deal."

Danny rolled his eyes. "It's ridiculous, if you ask me."

"Well then it's a good thing no one is."

Danny shook his head but remained silent.

They finally reached Mindy's place, stopping at the foot of the steps.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, "bestie"," Danny air-quoted. "Isn't that what they call them these days?"

Mindy groaned. "We've got a lot of work to do. But yes, I will see you tomorrow at 9. And bring your calendar. We're planning our first best friend date!" She called as she entered the building. Danny laughed, nodding, before turning and heading back to his own apartment.


	5. If We Were a TV Show

"Ow!" Danny cried out in the middle of the practice meeting, rubbing his shin.

"Something the matter, Danny?" Jeremy asked, pausing mid-word as he wrote out the weekly schedule on the whiteboard.

Danny shook his head and winced as he received another powerful kick, this time to his Achilles tendon. He whipped his head to the right, glaring at Mindy who was mouthing something to him.

"We're in a _meeting_!" Danny hissed, flicking his eyes towards the front of the room.

"That you are," Jeremy interrupted, sighing and turning around to address his colleagues. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to finish this before our first patient today."

"Sorry," Mindy and Danny apologized, both looking the part of the scolded child. They straightened up, pens in hand as Jeremy turned back around to continue his work.

It wasn't but 30 seconds later when when Danny felt a jab to his forearm. Scrunching his eyes closed to hold in a cry of pain, he shoved the offending legal pad back over at Mindy forcefully. Angry, she pushed it back to him. They continued in this manner until it flew off the table, pages fluttering to the ground.

"Just, uh, a muscle spasm," Danny explained, Jeremy looking at him, suspicious. He picked up the notepad and glared at Mindy. "Lifted too much yesterday." Jeremy narrowed his eyes but remained silent, deciding not to get involved.

Jeremy distracted once again, Mindy pointed at the bottom of the top sheet excitedly. Danny knew resistance was futile. He sighed and scanned her message.

 _No, I will not save you a place in line at the taco truck,_ he scribbled back. _If you want to catch some sale during your lunch hour, that's your choice._

 _You have no shopper's sympathy_. _Which is no surprise, considering your wardrobe,_ Mindy replied in her trait purple ink. _Why don't you just order mine with yours then? Just get my usual. I'll buy you pizza tomorrow._

Danny rolled his eyes. _Fine. I'll get you your chalupas, but only if we get anchovies on the pie. And why are we passing notes anyway? What is this, high school?_

_Ugh, okay to the fish. The things I do for Prada. And don't even pretend like the little nerd in you isn't exhilarated by this. I have a feeling Danny Castellano didn't pass many notes in his day._

_That's because I was too busy paying attention. Which is what we should be doing right now._

Mindy read his response and shook her head. _Fine, you spoilsport. Jeremy doesn't even need us to be here for this anyway. He just wants someone to appreciate his makeshift calendar. Come on, anyone with a Pinterest would know to use painter's tape to make the lines._

_What's a Pinterest?_

_I'll explain over anchovies – and bring your laptop._

* * *

"Another successful delivery made by Danny Castellano!" Danny cheered, stepping over Mindy's legs and plopping down next to her on the couch in the doctor's lounge.

Mindy held out her box of Mike n' Ikes. "That was the Nichols' premie, right?"

"Yep," Danny nodded through a mouthful of candy. "Anabelle Sarah Nichols. 3 weeks early. She's in NICU, resting now."

"Congratulations. Now you get to celebrate with me by watching an episode of Castle!"

"What are Castle and Beckett up to this time?"

"Another day, another crime. I think they have to go undercover as interior decorators."

"The plots for these get more and more ridiculous," Danny replied, stretching his arms across the length of the couch. "I think I'm gonna sit this one out. Well, nap, rather."

Mindy smacked his arm. "Danny, you can't! All the good episodes are when they have to go undercover! It's when they realize they have feelings for each other!"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Please. If you have feelings for someone, dressing up in a wig isn't gonna make it any more obvious. You know by the little, every day things."

Mindy folded her arms. "Oh, really? Sounds like you're speaking from experience. Do tell, Danny."

"Oh come on. You don't fall in love with someone by pretending to be something else."

"Well, maybe it's because they're too close to see it," Mindy rationalized. "When you spend so much time with someone, it's easy not to notice a love for those 'everyday things'. It's like the lyrics to that Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton song – you don't know what you got til it's gone."

"I think you're reading too much into a song about a yellow taxi," Danny replied. "But then that means that anybody working together could be in love and not know it. For all you know, you could be in love with me. How do you explain that?"

Mindy scoffed. "Me, in love with you? Please." She held up her hand, ticking off each item on her fingers. "If it wasn't the dictator-like allocation of office supplies, the stink bombs you drink that you like to call coffee, or the weird way you organize your patient files," she listed, "then you could count on your routine 3 o'clock cracker snacking to do us in. Sorry to burst your bubble, babe, but we are not some silver-screen-crossed lovers."

Danny smirked. "Oh, darn. And I was just realizing that it's not loathing that I feel but love every morning when I walk through your cloud of perfume."

Mindy opened her mouth in shock. "Hey! Don't hate on my signature scent!"

"Whatever, you say, dear," Danny winked, helping himself to another handful of candy. Mindy sighed, giving up.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. I think it's pretty clear that I'm not in love with you and you're not in love with me."

"Hey." Danny sat up, serious. "We'll never know unless we try."

Suddenly, Danny's face seemed extremely close to Mindy's. She gulped, unable to respond. Danny leaned in, inches from her lips. Mindy closed her eyes, frozen when she felt Danny pull away at the last second.

"Oh, you believed me!" Danny smirked, chuckling. "You totally would've made out with me," he smiled wickedly.

Mindy rolled her eyes. "Please. I didn't even consider the idea for a _second_. I was just having some trouble coming up with a witty retort."

"Whatever you say, dear," Danny repeated, this time jokingly rubbing Mindy's shoulder with the arm draped across the couch.

Mindy shook him off and stretched. "Well, I think I'm gonna head home anyway. Been a long day, confessions of love and all," she said with a pointed look.

Danny stood up, brushing off his scrubs. "I'll just gotta go grab my stuff from my locker. K?"

"I didn't mean _we_ – you know what, nevermind," Mindy ended. She grabbed her purse, checking the time as Danny left for the locker room. 1 AM – jeez, her sleep schedule was all messed up. It didn't feel like it was past 9.

"You ready?" Danny asked, exiting the building. Mindy nodded, letting him guide her towards the elevator.

* * *

Mindy leaned against the pole, stumbling as the empty car came to a stop. It was nearing 1:30, and the only people left on the subway were doctors and teenagers cool enough to party on a weeknight.

"Woah there, Lahiri. We're almost home. Just gotta stay awake a little longer." Danny caught her arm, steadying her.

"I don't know what happened – I was wide awake at the hospital. And now it's like I was hit with a load of bricks," she explained.

"We've both worked long hours this week. I think Jeremy tacked on a couple extra shifts for the meeting disruption, don't you?" Danny asked.

Mindy smiled. "Yeah, he totally did." She shrugged. "Oh well. Not like I've got anything better to do."

"I'm sure there's some reality TV show you could be catching up on," Danny laughed. He glanced up as the speakers alerted them to the upcoming stop. "This is us."

"Good. I'm ready to –"

Mindy was cut off, stumbling into Danny's arms as the train screeched to a stop. Danny's face really was inches from hers now, a laugh lighting up his eyes. Without thinking, Mindy reached up and kissed him. He jumped in surprise, but soon his lips were moving around hers, gentle but curious.

After a couple seconds, Mindy pulled back. "Woah."

Danny swallowed, lifting Mindy up and leading her to a seat. "Um, yeah. You could say that again." He scratched his head. "Just a, uh, random question here. What just happened?"

Mindy sat there, frozen. "We kissed."

Danny rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, that's the part I'm confused about. Could you clue me in as to why?"

Mindy broke out of her trance, looking up at her frazzled friend. "Because I wanted to."

"You wanted to?" Danny repeated.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. Your eyes were just so happy, and the way your right dimple crinkles more than the left – "

"I'm sorry, you kissed me because my dimples are uneven?" Danny interrupted, incredulous. "Min, you can't just go around kissing people! This isn't one of your movies!"

"I know," Mindy nodded. She motioned for Danny to come closer. "Hold on a sec, I wanna see something."

Danny shook his head, obeying for whatever reason. He bowed down so that he was level with Mindy, looking her in the eye. "What?"

She grabbed his face again, this time kissing him consciously. She wanted him to feel what she was feeling. Danny reacted immediately, taking her face in his hands, even balling his fist in her hair at the nape of her neck. Finally, he let go, coming up for air.

"So, um…anything?" Mindy asked nervously. Danny was running a hand through his hair in a daze. When she spoke, however, he stopped wandering, grabbed her and kissed her thoroughly.

"That answer it for you?" He asked, smiling. Mindy nodded silently. Then she began to laugh.

"What?" Danny asked, sitting down beside her.

"We totally missed our stop," Mindy explained.

Danny shrugged. "Worth it." Mindy couldn't agree more.

They sat in awkward silence, holding each other's hand and staring at the empty seats across from them until Mindy couldn't take it anymore. She turned to Danny. "So, like, what now?" She laughed nervously.

Danny smirked. "I dunno. You busy tomorrow night?"

"Not unless this egotistical but totally hot doctor asks me out," Mindy replied flippantly.

"He sounds like a jerk," Danny said, leaning in close. Mindy just nodded into the kiss, enjoying the moment before it was Danny pulling back with a grin.

"What _now_?" She asked.

"I was just thinking – if we're like Castle and Beckett, does that mean Peter and Jeremy are next?"

Mindy rolled her eyes and silenced him with a quick kiss. The train stopped again, this time both doctors making it off.

* * *

As Mindy turned off the light by her bed, she glanced at her phone. It was lit up with a text from Danny.

_Goodnight Beckett ;)_

Mindy shook her head. _Goodnight Castle_ _;)_ she replied. She turned off her phone, grinning up at the ceiling. She sent up a quick thank you to the TV gods before cuddling into her pillows and dreaming of a certain pair of dimples.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took awhile! I took the GRE the other day, so I was focusing on that. Last "first" chapter! :) Thanks for all the reviews and kudos!! Xoxo


	6. Ten Seconds

**A/N: FINALLY I can deliver the last chapter of Five Firsts & Ten Seconds! I'm sorry it took so long for me to finish it. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for continuing to read! :) xoxo  
**

* * *

"Danny, where are my toaster strudels?!" Mindy cried, digging frantically through the freezer.

Danny sighed and shook his head as he watched the scene before him. "I threw them out. Min, do you know how little fruit they actually have?"

Mindy whimpered and turned around to glare at her boyfriend. "Danny, no one eats them for their nutritional value! You know I like to draw smiley faces with the icing, then smother it all over the pastry!"

Danny rolled his eyes and brushed Mindy's hair out of her face. "I'm sorry, babe. I'll buy you some more tomorrow."

" _Morning_." She emphasized.

"Yes, tomorrow morning. I'll even paint on the smiley face myself, so you have something nice to wake up to."

Placated, Mindy stood up and pecked Danny on the cheek. "I already have that," she beamed, smacking Danny's butt with a wink. He jumped in pleasant surprise, following her over to the couch.

Mindy patted the seat next to her. "Come on, you know it's Freddie Prinze Jr. Friday."

Rolling his eyes, Danny plopped down on the couch. He yelped and jumped up, rubbing his butt. "What the – "

"My curling iron! You found it!" Mindy cheered, grabbing it from between the cushions.

"Yeah, with my _butt_ ," Danny replied, miffed.

"Sorry," Mindy winced. "Beyoncé was on Good Morning America and I wanted to curl while watching it…you know how it is."

"No, thank goodness, I don't," Danny sighed before double-checking the cushion for any other rogue styling tools. "Let's just pick the movie." He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and clicked over to the DVR. "What is this crap? Say Yes to the Dress, Project Runway, Mystery Girls? Where are my recordings of Blue Bloods?"

"Well, Charlie St. Cloud was on, and you know how I always miss the beginning, so I wanted to record it, and you only had enough room left for one of them – "

Danny groaned, rubbing his face. "You know what, it's fine."

Mindy eyed him suspiciously. "No, Danny, you want to say something. What is it?"

Danny sighed and fiddled with the remote. "Forget it, it's not worth fighting over."

Mindy crossed her arms. "Oh, _now_ I'm interested. Come on. Tell me."

Danny held up his hands. "Fine, you wanna do this? Let's go." He shifted on the couch so that he could fully face her. "You're taking over my apartment!" he cried, holding up a scented candle for effect. "All of a sudden, _my_ space has become _Mindy's_!"

Mindy's head snapped to her left. "Come again?" She backed up a little on the couch, openly glaring now.

"I mean the DVR, and the curling iron and two-pound jar of Nutella in my closet – who needs all that?"

"Me, Danny! I do! One day I'm going to bake delicious Nutella cookies and you will swallow your words – literally!" She exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. "I'm sorry I was integrating myself into your life, Danny. I just thought that that's what normal couples do, but silly me." She stepped over his legs, stomping over to the pantry and grabbing her curling iron on the way.

"Min, come on, don't be that way," Danny groaned, following after her. "You just don't respect my space. That doesn't mean I don't love you, that I don't want you in my life."

"Well, it's abundantly clear you don't want me in your pantry!" Mindy hissed, digging out several boxes of fruit roll-ups and tucking them under her arm. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna find a churro to dip in my ' _huge, obnoxious_ ' jar of Nutella," she replied, shaking it vigorously.

"Fine! Have fun!" Danny shouted, huffing with his hands on his hips.

"I will!" Mindy replied and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

 _You just got in a fight with your girlfriend about_ TV. _She really has had an effect on you, Castellano_. Danny shook his head and nodded his thanks towards the barista, grabbing the warm cup from the counter. _Now you're walking the streets of New York, trying to find a crazed doctor wielding a curling iron. Life sure isn't what it used to be._

He paused at the corner to think. _If I were Mindy and upset, where would I be?_ He had already tried Forever 21, as well as the coffeeshop she swore she saw Ryan Gosling at. Where else could she have gone?

He glanced across the street. A little girl was tugging on her dad's coat sleeve, pointing at a teddy bear in the glass. Beside her, another girl stood in awe of the Barbie dollhouse. No movement, just purely mesmerized by the bright colors and pretty dresses.

And that's when it clicked. Danny knew exactly where Mindy was.

* * *

"Thought I'd find you here."

Mindy turned to see Danny, bundled up in his winter jacket and scarf.

"I'm sorry, am I taking over the sidewalk's space now, too? Can't a girl stare at some diamonds in peace?" She asked, turning back towards the window.

Danny chuckled and motioned towards her Nutella-covered churro. "A new take on the classic, I see. Dessert at Tiffany's. I like it."

Mindy shrugged, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Yeah well, the bagel guy refuses to serve me anymore – something about 'doing me a favor' - so this was my only option." She finished her snack, stuffing the jar into her pocket. She turned back to stare lovingly into the glass, the gems sparkling back. "At least here I don't get chastised for my eating habits. Diamonds are a girl's best friend, you know."

"I do," Danny nodded, holding out his cup. "Mint hot chocolate?"

Mindy looked doubtful for a moment, trying to restrain herself before reaching out and taking the drink. "Thanks," she conceded, sipping carefully.

They were standing there, both looking at the display when she turned to Danny. "You know, you are, too."

"Hmm?"

"My best friend. You, and diamonds, and the period tracker app, I mean, that's just a God-send – " Mindy stopped herself. "That's why it hurt me that you were so against my life becoming a part of yours. You're supposed to be my best friend. Best friends tell each other _everything_ , they have pictures and ticket stubs and _stuff_ that's all mixed together. They keep certain foods at their houses, because they know it's your favorite, and you record stuff for them that they haven't watched. And that may be 'disrespecting your space', but that's how I feel. I need a partner who will _share_ their space with me, not cut me out of it. "

Danny frowned. "I know, Min, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I mean, I'm not gonna say I _like_ finding your curling iron in my couch, but I can get used to it."

"No, you can't," Mindy smirked, taking another sip. She took a deep breath to face Danny. "But it'll be okay, because I'm gonna be better. I'm sorry, too." She glanced up at Danny. "I know that it's your apartment and that I shouldn't take it over _completely_. We each need our own space. I just so happen to need a lot more of it than you."

Danny chuckled and shook his head. "You can say that again."

Mindy rolled her eyes. "Okay, I think once was enough, bub." She paused. "I guess no one's ever stuck around long enough to get annoyed with me taking over their place. Usually they have it all packed in a box by the door by now."

Danny softened. "Oh, Min, no. We just had a fight about stuff. That's all it is – _stuff_. It doesn't change how I feel about you."

Mindy glanced down. "But how will I know you won't freak out over finding my bobby pins all over the place, or the way I leave my shoes wherever I want? How do I know you'll love all of me, even the parts that annoy you?"

Danny moved a step closer, holding back a smile now. "You know how they say you can tell who a person is within just thirty seconds of meeting them?"

Mindy scrunched up her eyes, questioning. "Yeah, but I don't see what that has to do with us."

Danny held her free hand, his intense gaze boring into her eyes. "It only took me ten seconds to know you. Your observant gaze, how gentle you are with your patients, your passion for your work. In those ten seconds, I knew you were an amazing woman. And even after hours, days, years of knowing you, I still see those same things, despite the shoes and the curling iron and the toaster strudels. That's how I know I'll love all of you. Because I have, for a long time already."

Mindy coughed and wiped away a tear, nodding. "That was uh, that was a nice speech there, Castellame-o. Where'd you get it? Some rom com I haven't seen yet?"

Danny smirked and shook his head. "Made it up myself. Rehearsed it about a thousand times on the way over here," he admitted.

"Well, the delivery was great. Phrasing could use some work, however." She smirked. "Don't worry, I can give you some pointers later."

Danny rolled his eyes. "So. Are we good?" He looked at her hopefully.

Mindy pretended to think about it for a second. "I dunno, I'm still a bit hurt you judged Say Yes to the Dress like that. Not to mention Project Ru-"

Danny cut her off, dipping her low into deep kiss. A flash went off behind them, and a familiar voice called "got it!"

"Morgan?" Mindy stood up quickly and peered into the crowded sidewalk.

"Got the picture, Dr. C. Don't worry Dr. L, I'm gonna get my friend Rocko to blow this up real big for me so that I can hang it in phlebotomy," Morgan said, holding up a disposable camera.

Mindy turned to Danny. "Explain?"

Danny shrugged. "Just wanted you to know I love all of you, even your obsession with romantic clichés. I wanted you to have one of your own."

Mindy beamed, kissing him again before looping her arm through his. "So. We go home, get a little less… _space_ between us? I still have some Nutella left…"

"Let me get us a taxi." Danny hopped-to, hailing one to a screeching halt.

"Dr. C? Can I get a ride too?" Morgan waited by the curb. Danny threw a twenty-dollar bill out the window, not wanting to waste even ten seconds.


End file.
